Please join us on the new Dolphin Talk Radio featuring your hosts Barbara Napoles and Kirsten Massebeau as they interview Shannon Richards a triathlon athlete and Jennifer Wolfsong a marathon runner who have dedicated their races to saving dolphins. Inspired by “Blackfish” and “The Cove” both Jennifer and Shannon have inspirational journeys to share as they talk about how they became involved in the fight to save dolphins from capture, captivity and slaughter.

The Tuesday August 5, 2014 Dolphin Talk Radio Show entitled “Athletes Running for Dolphin Freedom” will begin at 11pm Eastern time and 8pm Pacific time. Call in with your questions and comments (424) 675-8287. Dolphin Talk Radio is a way to stand up, speak out and make a difference for dolphins worldwide. Together we can make a difference! Mark your calendars and have a listen!

Blackfish may have slowed down SeaWorld but it hasn’t slowed down their Russian friends a company called, White Sphere that is busy pulling orcas out of the Sea of Okhotsk. 2012 and 2013 have been successful years for “White Sphere” a conglomerate, and the Russian captive industry. In 2012 they managed to capture the young female orca now known as Narnia and in August of 2013 White Sphere has captured an additional seven orcas during two different operations in the Okhotsk sea. Two of those orcas are headed for China: ” The rumors are China and Moscow where new facilities are coming on stream. To send the whales to China requires CITES permits and we have now found out that at least 2 CITES permits have been issued”(source). Two other whales are following a different path that White Sphere hope involves performing at the Sochi Olympics.

On November 26th Russian Orcas on Facebook made a sad announcement to the world: “We have new information that two of the killer whales being held near Vladivostok are soon to be flown across Russia to the Sochi Dolphinarium. Sochi is a busy place these days preparing for the winter Olympics, 7-23 Feb. 2014. The whale captors known for the capturing beluga whales such as those the Georgia Aquarium is attempting to import, are planning on making big money during the Olympics by putting these newly captured orcas on display. These will be the first orcas ever displayed in public in Russia. A sad day for Russia, a sad thing for the Olympics, a very sad situation for two orcas who now will be flying across seven time zones, some 7,427 kilometres (4,614 miles) to spend the rest of what remains of their lives in captivity”.(Source)

On December 2nd Russian Orcas on Facebook confirmed that Narnia was one of the orcas on their way to Moscow: “After a year in a small holding pool near Vladivostok, yesterday 2 Dec., Narnia, a young female orca about 5m long and weighing 2.7 tons, was reportedly sent by cargo aircraft IL-76 to her final destination in a new Moscow Dolphinarium and Aquarium. Along with her was one of the orcas captured this year, a young male only 1.7 tons. They transferred at Krasnoyarsk airport then finished the 10-hour journey across Russia to the new Moscow Aquarium and Dolphinarium, said to be the largest oceanarium in Europe. No more news yet on the 2 orcas said to be going to Sochi for the Olympics”.(Source)

White Sphere and their many partners believe the Sochi Olympics is an opportunity to make a global name for themselves, and to line their pockets with gold as they display captive orcas for the first time in Russia, at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter games. Join us on Friday the 13th of December as we explain to the IOC, Vladimir Putin, White Sphere, and their partners from around the world that their support, and capture of wild orcas is unacceptable! It’s time they watched “Blackfish” and learned orca captivity is coming to an end not a new beginning.

As the documentary “Blackfish” continues to recruit new advocates for orcas let us broadcast the terrible plight of Russian orcas. Be a voice for the Blackfish of Russia! Together we can make a difference! Creating Awareness is what we do!

Previously on October 9, 2013 Russian Orcas had reported on another capture by “White Sphere“: “Three more captured Russian orcas join Narnia. An adult male, adult female and juvenile female killer whale were captured recently in the Sea of Okhotsk, eastern Russia, about 50 km south of the place where the young female orca Narnia was captured a year ago. They were transported in trucks for more than 1000 km to the south to the net enclosure near Nakhodka (Vladivostok area) and placed in the same net pen where Narnia was kept for the past year. The three captives were reportedly in a very bad condition after the transport. They refused to eat. The trainers could do nothing. Finally, we’ve heard, that Narnia herself tried something. She brought fish to the three captives and gave it to them. In this way she was responsible for persuading them to eat. This is not the first time one captive has helped others in the same situation. In the book Orca: The Whale Called Killer, Charlie Chin (M1) from the transient M pod encouraged a female in the pod to eat salmon—of course this is strange food for transients—after more than 2 months of refusing to eat. Regarding the four orcas now in Nakhodka, two of them are rumored to be headed for Moscow in November to be placed in the Oceanarium which is being built in the All-Russia Exhibition Centre. Two others are rumoured to have been offered for sale abroad. (Source)

On October 24, 2013 the heart-wrenching, fact based, eye opening film, “Blackfish” premiered on CNN. The powerful documentary exposes SeaWorld and the truth about the death of Dawn Brancheau who was killed by killer whale,Tilikum in 2010. The movie highlights SeaWorld’s lack of concern for the safety of trainers who are working with killer whales, and explores why Tilikum has killed. Once the viewer sees the violent captures of these orca juveniles being ripped from their mothers in the wild there is no doubt what SeaWorld has to done these highly intelligent mammals, and continues to do by enslaving them is wrong. The orca is the largest of the dolphin family traveling hundreds of miles everyday. Orca families have stronger emotional family bonds than humans, staying together in pods for a lifetime. Horrific footage of the violent Puget Sound captures, and Tilikum’s capture brought viewers to tears as “Blackfish” premiered and revealed how very unsuitable orcas are for captivity yet the captures continue.

This is a continuation of my blog of June 30 which was the result of testimony provided to US House of Rep. Hearing before the SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE, OCEANS AND INSULAR AFFAIRS, held June 14, 2011 on House Resolution (HR) 946 which if passed would allow killing of sea lions as a means of helping to restore Columbia River salmon runs. In particular Sharon Young representing Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) made a rather brilliant presentation which is most worthy of your reading. I will include her concluding statement, followed by my own comments on additional factors that should be more fully explored before this lethal solution is implemented. Sharon Young on HR 946, “In closing, we believe that this proposed legislation is not only unnecessary but potentially dangerous. It is unnecessary because the number of sea lions at the Dam is down. Their residency time at the Dam is reduced. The percentage of fish in the run that are eaten has declined each year for the past four years even as the percentage of the same fish killed by fishermen has risen. Moreover, other sources of salmon mortality, such as hydropower operations, ocean fisheries and the management of hatchery programs, have not been adequately addressed. In some cases, such as the stocking of non-indigenous fish for recreational purposes, the severe negative impacts to salmon have not been addressed at all. Sea lions come and go throughout the river throughout the season—it is not a situation in which there is only a handful of predators that can easily be eliminated and thus eliminate predation. As the lethal program of the past 3 years has shown, the percentage of predation-related salmon mortality and the size of salmon runs remain independent of sea lions were killed in a given year. Killing sea lions wastes time and money and lives and does little to benefit the salmon. But we are also concerned that this bill has less apparent dangers inherent in its language. It would sacrifice public involvement and transparency in the name of speed. It sets a dangerous precedent of exempting a controversial wildlife management program from National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) analysis. It also sets the stage for a return to the vigilante action against sea lions that existed prior to the 1972 passage of the MMPA when the states employed professional shooters in the river and members of the public killed seals and sea lions out of frustration or for sport. We oppose H.R. 946 and urge you to vote against it.” http://naturalresources.house.gov/UploadedFiles/YoungTestimony06.14.11.pdf The complete hearing on HR 946 can be found at: http://naturalresources.house.gov/Calendar/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=244930

The seven page testimony makes clear and concise arguments using data from documents previously submitted as well as an item by item referencing to the specific articles within section 120 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) that will be violated if House Resolution (HR) 946 is passed. A point that was totally lacking in reviews written by the popular press as well as internet coverage was their failure to expose passage would severally restrict public input when such matters are subsequently considered. This would be totally contrary to what Congress had intended when the MMPA Act was passed in 1972.

Image via Wikipedia

For the past forty years I have lived very near the Pacific Ocean in Cannon Beach, OR., and on occasion have witnessed dead sea lions at the shoreline. Recently after the occurrence of several dead pinnipeds I contacted local field workers from the Marine Mammal Strand Network to find what they had determined as the cause of death. Too often the response was gunshot wounds. MS. Young made reference to “vigilante” acts of the past but I am here to tell you that although marine mammals are protected, fishermen will continue to take whatever action deemed necessary to preserve what they consider their rightful catch. I mention this because these acts are purely in violation of the law under MMPA and offenders should be prosecuted, however enforcement is mostly impossible to this point in time. HS 946 would be a further intrusion on local sea-lion populations and only encourage continuation and potentially expanding rogue killings by threatened fishermen.

When man intrudes and makes changes nature generally reacts with some form of counter balancing. In the Columbia River, its estuary and the ocean beyond, we find this issue playing itself out. Killing sea lions may seem to be a solution however nature seems to be providing solutions that will be mentioned. Dredging of the Columbia from its mouth to Portland is an ongoing process which has resulted huge amounts of sand that must be deposited. The result has been the creation of off channel islands that became perfect habitat for birds. Caspian terns unheard of in this area 40 years ago have created one of the world’s largest colonies for that species, 16,000 last year. A number that has been rather stable for over ten years until this season when that number dropped by at least 4,000. What happened was the realization by raptors, primarily bald eagles and to a lesser degree falcons and owls, that an excessive population existed which has meant lunch. Terns, the Caspian variety, required on the order of some 300-700 salmon smolts per bird during breeding season, and have created a management problem, like sea lions. Rather than dealing with the evolvement of those strategies, will indicate what happened this year based on the presences of the previously mentioned raptors. They have patrolled the air ways and destroying nests, and with the aid of gulls eating the eggs apparently no terns have hatched, up to 6,000 nests destroyed! (note read ,http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/06/on_east_sand_island_at_the_mou.html for the more information including a video). I realize that my picture lacks cormorants and brown pelicans which are part of the above story, but my focus was on a predator prey relationship operating in the natural world rather than man invoking his traditional hammer, lethal force and gunning down innocent seals. It appears that

Image by Јason via Flickr

Bald Eagles are for this year the balancing force which could increase the desired salmon runs and have not been mentioned in any aspect of House Resolution 946.

A second factor includes Bald Eagles and pinnipeds. Local coastal explores have found cases where local populations of pinnipeds after having birthed offspring only to have their young attacked and devoured by Bald Eagles, leaving only skeletal remains. The exact species of pinniped was not identified but the possibility that again a predator relationship is being established which has long-term consequences on sea-lion populations. Sharon Young in her testimony before the House SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE, OCEANS AND INSULAR AFFAIRS, indicated that only a limited number of options had been considered before coming to the decision of killing sea lions as the solution to increase salmon runs. Here again we have an apparent exploding population of Bald Eagles along the Northern coast of Oregon and along the Columbia that is involved in the recent dynamics of species. The consequences should be in the mix before HR 946 is acted upon.

My final inclusion is that of Killer Whales,off shore and transient populations, who traditionally hunt pinnipeds, which is another example of controlling excess sea lion populations, if in fact such a thing really does exist. In my first post on this topic, https://championsforcetaceans.com/2011/06/30/save-columbia-river-sea-lions/, I made the connections among overfishing, declining sea lion populations and orca predation which had taken place in Alaskan waters. Sharon Young did not present any information that indicated Killer Whales could be any part of the solution. What she did testify was that other solutions existed short of killing sea lions as the solution. Please let congress know that HR 946 is not the answer and its foundation will be to the detriment of marine mammals as well as the public’s right to be involved in decisions impacting the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Dad spent all morning on this. Follow the path below to give Orca’s a voice.

Email your objections to: laura.morse@noaa.gov

or write to:

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705,
Silver Spring, MD 20910

File No. 781-1824
In opposition to proposed Permitting

Decision Makers:
I am opposed to this proposal based on the following:
1) The size of the resident pod that is designated for this study is so small that based on tagging up to 20 orcas per year would mean all pod members could be involved over a five year period.
2) The method of tagging is questionable, and resulted in the death of at least one mammal. This based on past research conducted by NMF when high powered air guns were used to deliver the dart.
3) Once tagged long term puncture wounds can develop which could put these mammals at risk for potential debilitating diseases.
4) Less invasive tracking methods have been identified which would provide much more data over longer periods of time as compared to the proposed dart tagging which lasts a maximum of 90 days.

The work of various individuals, societies and organizations have made well documented efforts to understand our fellow community members. It is an affront to their extreme intelligece, and exposes them to unwarrented risks. By all means please deny this proposal and allow for futher review and hopefully modifications which will include input from a caring human community.